Do you remember one of the songs in The Sound of Music?
Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles
And warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.
I was sitting in a drive-thru line at McDonald’s the other day and heard a mother place an order for a Happy Meal. This took me back to a few of my favorite things.
My friend, Jan (my dear friend who passed away), said on more than one occasion that she would go back to the time when her three daughters were small and she was homeschooling them all, in a minute. I concur.
I watched this single mom (there was no ring on her finger as she reached out again and again to retrieve the ordered food from the drive-thru window), doling out the drinks, the Happy Meal boxes, the straws to each of her three kids in the car and I all at once felt sorry for this single mom of three, and envious. She was doing what I used to do, in a haggard, haphazard way as we were hurrying off to get to the next event, the next dance class, the next sporting or band practice, a friend’s house or home after a busy day…
Favorite things…
At that very moment, just like my friend Jan, I would have gone back, if only for a minute or two. I miss those three small kids.
Jan didn’t really care who knew or if it was the “healthy” thing to long for, and today, neither do I.
My daughter, I see everyday, though she tends to keep busy working her job and volunteering with teens and those who are disabled.
My son who graduated and moved to a different state, I see a couple of times a month. We exchange texts once or twice a week, especially if he needs help with a new recipe.
And my youngest son who has spent the summer in Slovakia, due to return home in a few short weeks.
I miss those three small kids…
I’m sure I’m overlooking some of the things I didn’t enjoy about raising kids, I just can’t seem to think of them now as my mind is focused on those favorite things.
Is it a sad testament of what my life has become as I stroll down the lanes that hold those favorite things? Aren’t I supposed to be enjoying these golden years of empty nesting?
I think it matters not if I am or not.
Because today, my mind is in that McDonald’s drive-thru lane, ordering those crazy meals, served with a side of my favorite things.
Leave a Reply